


what would i do without you

by dokyeomscafe



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Idols, M/M, cheolsoo are jihoon's parents, composer jihoon, idk what tags to use, jicheolsoo's friendship is the cutest, most of the members are still idols but in a different way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24304609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dokyeomscafe/pseuds/dokyeomscafe
Summary: Jihoon reminiscing about every time he felt lucky having Soonyoung by his sideOr, Jihoon almost kills himself by working himself to death but from now on Soonyoung is always by his side
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Minor Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. the first time we met

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's been years since i've written something so i apologize if it's not good. i really wanted to get back into writing and i decided to do it here on ao3. i also apologize if there are a lot of mistakes. english is my first language but i suck at it lmaooo so just let me know if you find any and i’ll fix them
> 
> also i might have exaggerated a bit in the summary but it's all good

Jihoon always worked hard. He didn't complain about how much work he was given, and he completed everything before the deadline. But today was different. His music professor, Mr. Hwang, had requested him to compose five songs for two groups that were performing at the showcase. 

Five songs were _nothing_ to Jihoon – if he ran on oil, he could compose fifty songs each month – but the showcase is in three days. _**Three days.** _ That is certainly not impossible. But it was too much for him to manage. 

Did his professor forget he was a student too? Honestly, he probably did. Jihoon is never on campus unless he is needed. All of his classes were online and he had his own studio near his apartment. There was absolutely no reason for him to be on campus. 

His best friends, Seungcheol and Jisoo have tried to force him out of his studio before but none of those attempts were successful. They had no luck in trying to get him to budge out of his seat and always left after an hour of nagging him about exerting himself. He loved Seungcheol and Jisoo. He really did. But they need to understand why Jihoon works for hours without taking any breaks. 

Although composing for his university's yearly music showcase did get a bit demanding at times, he loved participating in it. Composing was his life, you could say. Tons of people have apprised him he was wasting his talents – which he took as a compliment – and 'encouraged' (read as pressured) him to show his singing skills more. Sure, he was stupendous at singing but he knew the path he wanted to take was composing music. 

Writing songs of all kinds of genres is something Jihoon is outstanding at. You name it and he could serve up a fair amount of ideas in a few minutes. 

The yearly music showcase is not just an ordinary showcase. It's a showcase where huge entertainment companies come to find talent. Every student who participates gets a choice between composing their own song or working with the main composers – Jihoon being one of them – to arrange a new song. 

The majority of the songs that were composed by the main composers became huge hits. Jihoon's hit songs include Adore U, Oh My! and Home, to name a few. Each year Jihoon has had an overflowing amount of emails he accumulated in his inbox from students who wanted to work with him. This year his professor had a different plan for him. 

After announcing that he wouldn't be taking requests for the showcase, numerous students expressed how sad they were. But they anticipated what mind-blowing songs he would compose for popular boy groups, SVT and BSS. 

Jihoon still couldn't believe he was composing songs for these two boy groups. He had never composed a song for someone that famous, not to mention he only composed songs for solos or duets but what could he do? Jihoon already took the job, and time was ticking. 

Reaching for his phone, Jihoon quickly searches up the two groups and listens to a couple of their songs. “Pretty good,” Jihoon mutters to himself while nodding. Their songs were better than he anticipated – not that he didn’t appreciate other boy group songs, it’s just that... most of them weren’t his style. 

He began writing down ideas he thought of while listening to SVT’s and BSS’s songs. Two songs for SVT. Two songs for BSS. The last song would be a collaboration between the two groups. 

About ten minutes later, his phone rings, startling him from his train of thought. Jihoon hurriedly grasps his phone in hand and answers the call, “Hello?” 

“Jihoon... are you still in your studio?” Seungcheol’s voice flows into his ear. 

Jihoon doesn’t say a word. 

“I guess you still are since you’re not answering my question. Look. We won’t force you out of your studio anymore. But did you at least eat? Or go outside to get some fresh air?” 

Once again silence fills the air. 

Seungcheol sighs loudly. “Jihoon you need to start taking care of yourself more. Jisoo and I care for you, you know. You need to remember to eat and stay hydrated. I’ve known you since we were kids so you can’t lie to me.” 

Jihoon finally speaks. “Yeah, I know.” 

“Please promise me you’ll start eating, drinking, and taking breaks more often when you’re in your studio, okay?” Seungcheol responds with a hopeful tone in his voice. 

Jihoon smiles at that. “Oh alright.” 

Even though they’re talking on the phone, Jihoon can hear Seungcheol smile widely. Jihoon is an only child and when they were kids Seungcheol treated him like a younger brother. Back then Seungheol felt like an older brother to him, he still does. Not that he'll reveal that to Seungcheol. Seungcheol would never let him off after hearing him say that. 

“Thank you. Try to get some rest too.” Seungcheol started to sound like a mother taking care of her child. “I love you-“ 

“We love you.” Jisoo’s soft voice barely reaching him. 

“We love you, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol repeats cheerfully. 

It goes quiet for a few seconds until Jihoon mumbles under his breath, “I love you guys too.” 

“What did you say? Sorry, I couldn’t hear you,” Seungcheol says amusingly, pretending he didn’t hear Jihoon when he heard everything clearly. 

“I said I love you guys too,” Jihoon softly murmurs, voice quieter than previously. 

“What? Can you repeat that?” 

Jihoon angrily shouts, “I SAID I LOVE YOU TOO.” But before Jihoon can hang up, Jisoo’s voice reaches his ear more clearly and it seems like he’s scolding Seungcheol. In the background, he hears Seungcheol whining about how he was just joking with his favorite dongsaeng. He’s still annoyed with Seungcheol but he immediately grins at that. 

He finally hears his favorite hyung’s – not that he'll reveal this to Seungcheol too – voice spill through the phone. “Jihoon, I’m so sorry about Cheol. You know how stupid he can be.” 

"Hey!" Seungcheol yells, sounding offended. Jihoon can hear Seungcheol grumbling a hurricane of complaints. 

”It’s okay, Jisoo hyung. I know he didn’t mean any harm. Even if he did, I would rough him up the second I see him in person.” 

Jisoo cackles until he chokes on air. After coughing up a storm, Jisoo clears his throat. “I know you would. As Seungcheol said before, please take care of yourself more. Eat. Drink water. Give yourself a breather. Sleep. And don’t overwork yourself. I’ll leave you be now so you can work on those songs. Bye, Jihoon! I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Okay hyung, bye.” 

“Bye Jihoonie! I love you!” he hears Seungcheol say just before he hangs up. 

    
       


    
    
       

    

* * *

    
       

    

It’s been about nine hours since Jihoon started working on the songs and he was only halfway done with the second one. His mind wasn’t cooperating with him. He had written down so many ideas but he couldn’t arrange them in the way he wanted to. Jihoon frustratedly scratches the back of his head and slams the palm of his hands onto the table. It was only day one of composing and he spent most of it staring blankly at his drafts. Hours have flown by and he still hasn't achieved anything. So Jihoon finally decides to go out to get some fresh air. 

Jihoon retrieves his phone, keys, and wallet, and then heads out. He locks up his studio and treads downstairs. Looking out the window, Jihoon realizes it’s evening now. Had he been working on those songs for that long? He met with his professor at seven in the morning. He started working on the songs at eight. Seungcheol called him around nine-thirty. He ended the call with his hyung’s at ten. And now it was seven in the evening. _Huh_ , he thinks. _I guess I did work for that long._

The area where Jihoon's apartment and studio are located is very cordial and quiet, an amazing find thanks to Jisoo. He truly loves how relaxing it is to take a walk, maybe he should take walks more frequently. Jihoon politely greets everyone he passes by, occasionally halting to converse with individuals he's gotten close to. He sits down on one of the benches and looks up at the sky. The bold and rich oranges, reds, and yellows fill the sky. It's a wonderful evening to be out and about. 

Jihoon gets up and contemplates which cafe he should go to. _Hmm. There's Shining Diamond, Smile Flower, and... Carrot Cafe?_ Jihoon tilts his head. _Wait. What was that cafe that Seungcheol works at? Carret Cafe, nah. Carron Cafe, no. Caring Cafe... nope. Ughh what was it?_

I know what you might be thinking. If Seungcheol works there, haven't you dropped by since you're best friends? Well to answer that question, nope. Never. Yup, I, Lee Jihoon have never been to- um whatever Seungcheol's workplace is called. _Oh wait Carat Cafe right?_ Jihoon takes his phone out of his pocket and searches it. _Yes, I found it!_

While walking towards the cafe, Jihoon starts to feel a little lightheaded. He stops and takes deep breaths until he feels the dizziness go away. Or so he thought. Jihoon’s legs suddenly buckle, his vision gets blurry, and he starts to feel really dizzy. He feels someone lift him up and sit him on a bench. "Hey, are you okay?" Jihoon hears someone asking him, sounding panicked and worried. His eyes are closed and his head is pounding, he almost doesn’t hear the question. He nods his head but regrets it instantly. The headache hurts so bad, it feels like someone struck his face with something hefty. His breathing pauses consistently and he feels tears slip out of his eyes. Jihoon slowly feels himself slip away into the darkness. 

    
       


    
    
       

    

* * *

    
       

    

Rising up into a sitting position, Jihoon breathes heavily, immediately regretting getting up as his head is pounding. He blinks until his vision isn’t blurry anymore and observes the room he’s in. He’s in the university’s health room? _What... Why am I here?_ He confusingly wonders. 

“Woah! You shouldn’t get up yet. You’re here because you collapsed,” a voice he has never heard says like he knew what he was thinking. Snapping his head towards the direction where the voice came from, he sees a guy with messy blond hair, eyes that were slanted, and a soft smile on his face. 

“Oh, I’m Soonyoung by the way. Kwon Soonyoung.” Soonyoung says, smiling wide and bright. “You fainted in front of Carat Café. I didn’t know if you were a student here or not but since this was the closest clinic I knew of, I brought you here. The nurse seemed to know you though so I guess that means you are a student here,” Soonyoung calmingly explains to Jihoon. 

Jihoon nods at every word Soonyoung says. “Thank you, Soonyoung. My name is Lee Jihoon,” Jihoon quietly tells Soonyoung. “You’re welcome, Jihoon,” Soonyoung says, eye smile now on display. _He’s... cute,_ Jihoon thinks to himself. 

Soonyoung hands him a bottle of water. "Here drink this. The nurse said that you're very dehydrated so I stopped by the cafeteria and grabbed this water bottle." 

"Thanks." Jihoons reaches out to grab the bottle. He and Soonyoung's hands brush against each other briefly, feeling tingly Jihoon looks up at Soonyoung. Soonyoung is beaming at him, his cheeks reddening. Jihoon's not sure if his cheeks are turning red too but it certainly feels like it. Feeling embarrassed, Jihoon turns away and twists the cap of the water bottle off. He chugs the water but is careful to not drink too fast. 

Suddenly the door bangs open, both Soonyoung and Jihoon look up, startled. Seungcheol runs in along with Jisoo and Minhyun – the nurse – following behind. “Jihoon what did I tell you! I told you to take care of yourself so why are you here. Do you know how worried I was when Minhyun called Jisoo and told us you fainted?” Seungcheol nagged him straight away. Jisoo smacks the top of his head. “Owww.” Seungcheol whines, stretching out the sound. 

“What did I tell you on our way here? I told you not to pester Jihoon with questions, didn’t I?” 

Seungcheol exaggeratedly responds with a pout on his face “Yes you did.” 

“Hello, who are you?,” Jisoo politely asks Soonyoung. 

“I’m Soonyoung, I’m the one who brought Jihoon here.” 

“Oh my goodness, thank you so much for helping Jihoon. This boy never takes care of himself and now he exerts himself to the point of fainting. Honestly, I don’t know what would’ve happened if you weren’t there. Thank god someone like you helped him out. I have to repay you for this. How does lunch sound? I’ll treat you to lunch sometime. You can pick the location and date.” Jisoo says, mouth moving rapidly. 

Seungcheol back hugs Jisoo out of jealousy, his bottom lip sticking out further “Hong Jisoo, are you flirting with someone else in front of your boyfriend?” 

“Are you serious Cheol? I’m just trying to repay Soonyoung here for helping our precious baby.” Jisoo faces Seungcheol and pecks his boyfriend's lips. Seungcheol’s eyes happily light up and he brings Jisoo into a tight hug. 

Jihoon clears his throat. “Excuse me. Hyung can’t you see you’re not alone and you’re also in a health clinic. That is disgusting. And also **never** call me your precious baby ever again. _**Never.** _ ” 

Jisoo pulls away from the hug, his cheeks flushed pink. He turns to ask Minhyun about Jihoon’s health report. Minhyun announces Jihoon’s health status, “He is very dehydrated and he doesn't have enough nutrients in his body. One of you has to make sure he eats healthy and drinks water often, every single day. Make sure he gets enough rest too. I know you don’t like it when these two bother you when you’re working in your studio, Jihoon. But this is the tenth time this year you’ve been here in the clinic and as your friend, I’m also worried about you. Please try to take care of yourself.” 

Although Jihoon wasn’t as close to Minhyun as he was with Seungcheol and Jisoo, Jihoon always appreciates when Minhyun takes care of him. 

“Um to answer your question Jisoo-ssi, I would love to grab lunch with you... if Jihoon comes. I know Jihoon needs to rest for now so we can postpone that until he feels better.” Soonyoung says after staying silent for a while. 

Jisoo shoots Jihoon a suggestive stare and Seungcheol smirks at him. Jihoon glares hard at Seungcheol and mouths ‘Fuck you’ to him – he would’ve also stuck out his middle finger but he didn’t want to risk it in front of Soonyoung. 

“Alright, that sounds good. I’m assuming you need to go now. We’ll leave you and Jihoon alone so you can say your goodbyes,” Jisoo says smiling, dragging Seungcheol and Minhyun out of the room. 

“So I–“ 

Jihoon cuts Soonyoung off. “I’m so sorry about them. I don’t know why they’re acting like that. You didn’t need to accept the lunch proposal, you can cancel it right now if you want to. You probably felt like you couldn’t say no in front of–“ 

Soonyoung cuts Jihoon off this time waving his hands in front of him. “No, I don’t mind. Before your friends barged into the room, I was going to ask you about yourself and ask if I could have your number.” 

‘Have my number...’ Jihoon’s mind was malfunctioning. He gaped at Soonyoung, eyes widened. “You want my number?” Jihoon finally asks Soonyoung, pointing at himself. 

“Yes,” Soonyoung replies while nodding. “I would love to be friends and hang out with you... unless you don’t want to.” 

“No!” Jihoon says alarmed, shaking his head at amazing speed. “I would love to be friends with you” 

“Cool! I thought you wouldn’t want to. I was thinking you probably thought I was being creepy but I’m really happy that it wasn’t that. Well here’s my number.” Soonyoung jots down his number on a piece of paper and hands it to Jihoon. “I have to go now but I’ll see you around, yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Jihoon responds, eyes still wide open, shocked that Soonyoung wants to be friends with him. 

Enthusiastically waving at him, Soonyoung walks out and Minhyun, Jisoo, and Seungcheol walk back in. "Sooo." Seungcheol wiggles his eyebrows at him. "Who was that? Hmm?" Trying to get an answer out of Jihoon. 

"That was Soonyoung. He was the one who helped me after I fainted." Jihoon bites, rolling his eyes. What the hell was Seungcheol thinking and in this situation, for God's sake! 

"Don't mind him Jihoon. Let's get you home, okay? We're staying with you in your apartment for now and you can't complain. Come on, let's go." Jisoo nudges him to the door. 

"But the songs-" 

"Don't worry about that, Jihoon. You need to get some rest. I'll talk to Mr. Hwang for you. Let's head down to the car with Seungcheol, alright?" 

Jihoon yawns, eyes drooping tiredly. "Okay." 

    
       


    
    
       

    

* * *

    
       

    

When they arrived at his apartment, Seungcheol and Jisoo went straight to his kitchen to cook up a big hearty meal for Jihoon. They nagged him on how he didn't eat or drink even after Jihoon promised them he would. He was sitting at his small dining table. "Here you go. Eat up, don't leave anything uneaten." Jisoo lays a plate down and Seungcheol sets down a bowl in front of him. The bowl is filled up to the brim with chicken-vegetable soup and the plate has several kinds of fruit, some cut into small pieces: grapes, strawberries, bananas, apples, and oranges. Retrieving the chopsticks, Jihoon looks up at Jisoo and Seungcheol, beaming. "I'll eat well." Jihoon scarfs down everything in a short period of time. 

"Woah!" Seungcheol surprisingly exclaims, eyes widening. "Slow down, Jihoonie, you'll choke on the food if you eat that fast." 

"Ah sorry... I'm just-" Jihoon pauses for a second. "I'm just really hungry. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you hyung, I really did forget about eating and staying hydrated." Jihoon lowers his head, body shrinking into the chair. 

"Hoonie... we're not mad at you." Seungcheol and Jisoo look at each other knowingly. "We just want the best for you. We want you to be well. We want you to take good care of yourself. We care for you so much. You're our best friend, Jihoon. We would do anything to protect you, and I know it doesn't seem like it but we think of you as our precious dongsaeng. We love you so much, it hurts to see you overwork yourself to the point of getting sick. That's why we come to your studio every day and constantly nag you, we know you forget about yourself while working.” Seungcheol explains lovingly. “Now go get some sleep. I better not see you awake before eight." Jisoo pushes him until he's tucked into bed. "Goodnight, Jihoonie. We love you." 

When Jisoo shuts the door, he hears two dings come from his phone. He reaches for his phone in his pocket and reads the messages. 

**Unknown:** Hey  
**Unknown:** I hope you're feeling better 

**Jihoon:** Is this Soonyoung? 

**Unknown:** Yes it is 

_Huh?_ How did Soonyoung get his number? Didn't he only have Soonyoung's? Jihoon doesn't remember giving Soonyoung his number and he hasn't texted him yet. 

**Jihoon:** How'd you get my number? 

**Soonyoung:** Oh I got it from your friend, Seungcheol  
**Soonyoung:** Sorry was I not supposed to?  
**Soonyoung:** Hope you're not mad  
**Soonyoung:** I was the one who asked him 

**Jihoon:** No it's alright  
**Jihoon:** I was just wondering 

**Soonyoung:** I know I gave you my number but I asked your friend for yours just in case you forgot about the paper 

Jihoon's lips turn upward, smiling a little. Taking the piece of paper out of his pocket, Jihoon stares at it. "I guess I did forget about it." Looking back down at his phone. 

**Jihoon:** I see  
**Jihoon:** But you're right  
**Jihoon:** I did forget 

**Soonyoung:** Ha!  
**Soonyoung:** Then asking your friend for your number was a great choice 

**Jihoon:** Yeah I guess it was 

**Soonyoung:** Did you get some rest? 

**Jihoon:** Uhh no  
**Jihoon:** I was just about to go to sleep but then you texted me 

**Soonyoung:** Oh no!!  
**Soonyoung:** I'll stop messaging you now so you can sleep  
**Soonyoung:** I'll text you again tomorrow  
**Soonyoung:** Goodnight Jihoon. Sleep well! 

**Jihoon:** Goodnight Soonyoung  
**Jihoon:** You sleep well too 

Jihoon sets his phone down on his nightstand and turns on his side to sleep. _He's nice. Soonyoung seems very nice._ Jihoon feels happiness burst out of his heart. He shuts his eyes, trying to fall asleep but to no avail. Too excited from his conversation with Soonyoung, he can’t help but think about their encounter again and again. Finally drifting to sleep, Jihoon dreams of what tomorrow will bring him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed reading this first chapter. i don't have a schedule for this fic because it did take me a while to write this and i can't promise daily updates. but i will try to upload other chapters as fast as i can
> 
> i didn't give much details on a lot of things because i thought this chapter was starting to get too long but i might make fics for side stories/backstories after i finish this fic
> 
> bss is obviously seungkwan, seokmin and soonyoung and svt is junhui, wonwoo, mingyu, minghao, hansol and chan. jeonghan isn’t in svt here but don’t worry he will still have a part in this story


	2. we meet again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! it’s been a while. i know it’s been almost a year since i’ve updated this but i’m honestly not surprised with myself. i was so unmotivated, i got lazier and i started procrastinating more during quarantine that i lost hope in this fic. i did write a draft for chapter two a few weeks after chapter one but then i totally forgot about that draft and when i did remember, i couldn’t think of anything to write. but now here i am, ready to start writing again!
> 
> i did try to proofread chapter one and i did correct some parts but there might still be areas that don’t look quite right

When Jihoon awoke from his deep slumber – which he immensely enjoyed because he dreamed of a certain someone hehe but don’t tell anyone – Seungcheol and Jisoo barged into his room with news. 

It turns out that Jisoo did indeed have a conversation with Mr. Hwang about the situation that happened yesterday. Jihoon was cleared to take a break from composing and the job safely landed into the hands of Min Yoongi, one of the other main composers who Jihoon is friends with. Hearing that made Jihoon feel much better. The songs are in the hands of someone he trusted. Now Jihoon could stop stressing about the music showcase. 

Honestly, he is a bit sad that he won’t get to work with BooSeokSoon and Seventeen. Their songs are very much his style so it’s a pity he’ll be missing out on this opportunity. However, Jihoon does feel better taking a break from composing. 

But then Jisoo hits him with the most exciting news he has heard. It turns out the members of BSS and SVT were crestfallen since they couldn’t work with Jihoon. So the managers of the groups sought out Mr. Hwang and told him that they would still like to work with Jihoon when he comes out of his hiatus. 

Jihoon beamed upon hearing that. He was very sad about missing the opportunity to work with the two boy groups but now he couldn’t hold in his excitement. He wanted to head into his studio to start composing some songs, yet Jihoon knew that he should restrain himself. 

“But Jisoo hyung I still want to go to the showcase.” Jihoon pouts, turning towards Jisoo so he sees his puppy dog eyes. Jihoon would never do this unless he wants something really bad and going to the showcase to watch the performances is what he wants. 

“Pleaaasee hyung, I’ll only be watching and I won’t do anything else.” 

Jisoo gives Jihoon a peculiar look. A look that Jihoon is familiar with. It can only be seen when Jisoo doesn’t trust Jihoon on what he says. 

“I promise,” Jihoon says, hope in his eyes. 

Jisoo sighs. “Okay, fine. You can go to the showcase but only to watch,” he makes sure to emphasize his words. Jisoo glances at Jihoon. “You promised,” holding out his pinky. 

Jihoon links his pinky with Jisoo’s. “I did,” he nods, pushing their thumbs together. 

After a few minutes of chatting with Jisoo, Jihoon finally notices that Seungcheol isn’t with them anymore. “Jisoo hyung, where did Seungcheol hyung go?” 

“What do you mean? He’s right here-” Jisoo turns to look at the spot where Seungcheol was but Jihoon’s right, he’s not here. Jisoo swears that Seungcheol was next to him a moment ago. He didn’t even notice that Seungcheol got up and left. “Maybe he just went to the bathroom or maybe he’s hanging out in the living room,” Jihoon suggests. 

“Hmm those could be true.” Jisoo nods in agreement. Wanting to see if Jihoon was right, Jisoo yells for Seungcheol, “Seungcheol! Are you there?” Hearing no answer both Jisoo and Jihhon come to the conclusion that Seungcheol has actually left Jihoon’s apartment. 

“That rascal. Where did he run off to?” Jisoo shakes his head. “I’ll go find him. Will you be okay on your own?” Jisoo asks worriedly. “Yes hyung. I’ll be okay,” Jihoon assures Jisoo. “Now go find Seungcheol hyung,” he nudges Jisoo out of his room and in front of his apartment door. “Bye hyung! See you later.” 

“Bye Hoonie,” Jisoo ruffles Jihoon’s hair. “We’ll come back for dinner.” Jisoo opens the front door and takes one step out but then turns back around to face Jihoon and reminds him to eat and stay hydrated – you know the usual stuff he gets nagged about. 

Before Jisoo starts rambling, Jihoon reassures him, telling him he’ll eat breakfast when Jisoo leaves. Jisoo accepts his words and finally heads out. 

Although Jihoon wants to go back to sleep, he stays true to his words and walks towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge, Jihoon sees tons of ingredients he can use to cook up something but chooses to toast some waffles. 

When Jihoon is finished with his waffles, he decides to relax on his couch and scroll through whatever he finds interesting on his phone. While binge-watching some videos from a channel that shows the lives of 10 cats, Jihoon receives a few texts from Soonyoung. Seeing that they come from Soonyoung, Jihoon immediately presses on the notification and reads what Soonyoung has sent him. 

**Soonyoung:** Good morning Jihoon!  
**Soonyoung:** How are you? I hope you’re feeling better :)  
**Soonyoung:** Have you eaten yet? 

Trying to hold in his excitement, Jihoon texts Soonyoung back with a huge smile on his face. 

**Jihoon:** Good morning Soonyoung!  
**Jihoon:** I’m fine! I just ate some waffles 

**Soonyoung:** That’s good! I’m glad you’re okay now 

**Jihoon :** Yeah 

Jihoon physically facepalms. Why the hell did he respond like that? Yeah? What kind of message is that… Jihoon shakes his head at himself. He hopes Soonyoung doesn’t think that he’s not interested in talking to him. But Soonyoung sends him a flurry of messages. 

**Soonyoung:** Umm I actually wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out  
**Soonyoung:** We can meet up at Carat Café, if you’d like?  
**Soonyoung:** Ah wait...  
**Soonyoung:** You should rest more  
**Soonyoung:** Don’t worry. We can just schedule it for another day 

Jihoon stares intensely at the messages. He really wants to meet up with Soonyoung but he knows he should stay and rest more. Not knowing how to reply, Jihoon hurriedly calls Joshua. And Joshua answers his call right away. “Hello! Jihoon are you okay? Did something happen? Do you need anything?” Jisoo concernedly asks. 

“Hyunggg,” Jihoon cries out, “I don’t know what to do.” 

“Yes, are you hurt? Do you need Seungcheol and me to come back right now, Hoonie?” 

“Soonyoungtextedmeandhewantstohangoutandiknowyousaidtorestbutireallywanttogomeetupwithhimsoidontknowwhattodooooo.” Jihoon is starting to sound a bit dramatic but this is important business. 

Jisoo is silent for a few seconds so Jihoon is beginning to think that was too much. So Jihoon tries to repeat what he said but slower. “Soonyoung texted me an-” 

“Hahaha!” Jisoo’s laughter cuts Jihoon off. “I understood what you said Jihoon. I was just thinking.” Jihoon has an ‘ah!’ moment, his mouth open and embarrassment passing over his face. 

“Soonyoung you say…” Jihoon feels like Jisoo is scheming something when he hears the tone of Jisoo’s voice. “What do you think?” Now Jisoo sounds like he’s faced away from his phone so Jihoon assumes he might be asking Seungcheol that question. And he’s right. Seungcheol’s voice flows through the phone instead of Jisoo’s. “Well instead of meeting up at Carat Café, why don’t you invite Soonyoung-ssi over?” Seungcheol proposes. Jihoon’s eyes widen. “W-w-what?” Jihoon stutters before clearing his throat. “What?” he repeats. 

“Well Jisoo and I are okay with you meeting up with Soonyoung-ssi. Yes, we are worried about you but we won’t keep you away from social interactions. So why don’t you invite Soonyoung to your apartment so you guys can hang out but you can still let your body rest.” Seungcheol explains. Jisoo slides back into the conversation. “Yeah, Hoonie. Invite Soonyoung-ssi over. Don’t worry too much. Just a simple ‘do you wanna come over to my apartment instead?’ will do.” 

“Don’t let Soonyoung-ssi wait for too long, Hoonie. We’ll see you tonight,” Jisoo says. “Bye, Jihoon!” he hears both Jisoo and Seungcheol say. “Bye hyungs!” Jihoon replies. But before Jihoon removes his ear from his phone, he swears he hears one of them say ‘go get ‘em tiger.’ 

Going back to texting Soonyoung, Jihoon hopes he didn’t make Soonyoung wait for too long. Many things are going through his mind right now. What if Soonyoung won’t message him back anymore? What if Soonyoung thinks Jihoon left him on read? Just too many what's running through his head. Then Jihoon thinks of what Jisoo said. “Just a simple ‘do you wanna come over to my apartment instead?’ will do,” Jihoon repeats and he takes a deep breath. Jihoon gives himself a pep talk in his mind, _Jisoo hyung is right. There’s nothing to worry about. I can do this!_

**Jihoon:** Hey! Sorry for taking a while to reply 

**Soonyoung:** No it’s fine! I don’t mind at all  
**Soonyoung:** Take your time :) 

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Jihoon takes another deep another. _**I can do this.** _

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**Jihoon:** Actually do you wanna come over to my apartment instead?  
**Jihoon:** I mean because I still have to rest my body  
**Jihoon:** I called Jisoo hyung to ask if I could meet up with you  
**Jihoon:** He said it wouldn’t be good to meet at Carat Café  
**Jihoon:** Since it’s quite far and I would have to walk there  
**Jihoon:** But I would still like to hang out with you  
**Jihoon:** If you’d still like to that is 

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Okay so not only did Jihoon kind of panic but he also bluffed a little. And Jihoon didn’t mean to, he couldn’t help it. His nerves always took over in these situations. But before Jihoon could apologize and take back the other messages he sent, Soonyoung texts back. 

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**Soonyoung:** Sure! I would love to come over if it’s alright 

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**Jihoon:** Of course! It’s more than alright :) 

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Jihoon presses send before he realizes what he messaged back. He wants to scream out loud for the whole world – he seriously hopes the aliens could hear him scream from Earth so they can abduct him and he wouldn’t need to face Soonyoung ever again – to hear but he decides to internally scream instead. It’s too late to go back now though. **Soonyoung has read it.** Jihoon just wants to lock himself up in his room, and go into hiding until Jisoo and Seungcheol come back. 

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Jihoon gets up from the couch without his phone and starts heading towards his room. He feels like he’s dying inside. Then, his phone ‘dings’ and Jihoon stares at it from his room door, contemplating if he should look at the text or do what he was just gonna do. After a few minutes, Jihoon ultimately settles for checking the message. He trudges back to the couch and grabs his phone. 

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**Soonyoung:** Hahaha okay :)  
**Soonyoung:** Where should I go to get to your apartment? 

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**Jihoon:** Will you be driving or walking here? 

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**Soonyoung:** Depends how close your apartment is to mine 

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**Jihoon:** Ah it’s a few blocks from the university 

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**Soonyoung:** Ohh mine is that close to the university too  
**Soonyoung:** I’ll just walk! 

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Jihoon sends Soonyoung the directions from the university to his apartment, and the floor and room number he lives in. 

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**Soonyoung:** Ahh wait a minute… 

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Jihoon doesn’t know what to think. Was Soonyoung changing his mind? That’s all he can think about currently. Jihoon feels his anxiety coming back but he tries to calm himself down. 

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**Jihoon:** Is something wrong? 

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Jihoon nervously waits for Soonyoung to reply. 

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**Soonyoung:** No no no  
**Soonyoung:** Nothing is wrong  
**Soonyoung:** I’m actually a bit surprised 

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_Jihoon tilts his head to the side, eyebrows furrowed and pouting unknowingly. Surprised?_ Jihoon switches from being nervous to being confused. 

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**Soonyoung:** Yeah we actually live closer to each other than I thought 

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**Jihoon:** Huh?  
**Jihoon:** Really? 

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**Soonyoung:** Yeah  
**Soonyoung:** Like across the street close  
**Soonyoung:** I’ll come over in a bit 

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**Jihoon:** Okay  
**Jihoon:** Just knock or ring the doorbell when you get here 

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**Soonyoung:** Alright! See you soon, Jihoon :) 

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**Jihoon:** Yeah see you soon, Soonyoung :) 

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Jihoon throws his phone at the other end of the couch and turns over to screech into one of the throw pillows. He rolls onto his back and stares at the ceiling for a moment. But then Jihoon snaps his head towards the kitchen and sees how messy it has become. He rushes to make his apartment look clean before Soonyoung arrives. He definitely does not want Soonyoung to think he’s a messy person. When Jihoon’s satisfied with how his apartment looks, he heads to his room and changes into home clothes that are a bit nicer. And while Jihoon is fixing his hair, he finally hears someone knocking on the front door. Taking one last look in the mirror, he gathers himself and goes to open the door. 

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And once he opens the door, a smiling face appears in front of him. “Hello!” a soothing voice says. 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sorry to leave you hanging here but i think this is a good place to stop this chapter. half of this chapter is soonhoon texting haha i honestly don’t mind it
> 
> this chapter + chapters three and four will probably be way shorter than the first one and the last one. of course, the first chapter is the beginning so when i wrote it i wanted to have more detail and it’ll be the same for the final chapter, it’s the ending so i’m gonna write more as i did in the first one
> 
> i actually don’t know if i’ll be stopping at just five chapters but if i feel like it’s too little, i might write one more chapter in


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